The present invention relates generally to medical equipment, and more particularly to a novel protective covering that prevents the spread of infection by gurneys and other nonsterile patient bearing structures.
Medical facilities utilize gurneys and other various stationary and mobile patient bearing structures, such as carts, beds, and tables, to examine and/or transport patients within the facility. Infectious biological fluids, for example, blood and mucus, inevitably accumulate on such patient bearing structures, thereby increasing susceptibility to infection for occupants, as well as for medical practitioners and facility personnel.
Emergency room gurneys are particularly vulnerable to contamination. Emergency rooms must accommodate a high volume of patients and, as a practical matter, emergency room gurneys are seldom washed yet are continually occupied by patients who are often bleeding or discharging other potentially infectious biological fluids. Emergency room gurney railings provide an especially high risk for infection because such railings are often chronically contaminated with dried infectious biological fluids, which may then be communicated to the medical facility staff.
Fresh linen is typically placed onto mattresses of patient bearing structures prior to each new patient's occupancy thereof, but washing or cleaning of patient bearing structures is considerably less frequent. Manual cleaning often consumes valuable nursing time and also removes the patient bearing structure from service for an extended period of time. Chemicals and other materials necessary for cleaning generate additional expenses. Further, manual cleaning is not sufficiently reliable because contaminated stains are seldom completely eliminated, and thus the risk of transferring pathogens still exists.